Automatic track changing apparatus

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MOVING A BODY IN ALTERNATE TRANSVERSE FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTS THROUGH A PREDETERMINED PATH, THE SUCCESSIVE TRANSVERSE MOVEMENTS BEING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO EACH OTHER, AND THE SUCCESSIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTS BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIRECTION. THE APPARATUS INCLUDES A HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING THE BODY; A CARRIAGE SLIDINGLY SUPPORTING THE HOLDER; A TRANSVERSE DRIVING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY DRIVING THE CARRIAGE IN ALTERNATING BIDIRECTIONAL STROKES IN A TRANSVERSE DIRECTION; A LONGITUDINAL DRIVING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY DRIVING THE HOLDER IN A SINGLE, SELECTIVELY DISTANCED LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION DURING A SELECTED FINAL INCREMENT OF EACH TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE; STROKE TERMINATION AND REVERSING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSVERSE DRIVING MEANS AND COOPERATING WITH THE CARRIAGE TO END EACH TRANSVERSE STROKE OF THE CARRIAGE, AND TO REVERSE THE DRIVE IMPARTED THERETO BY THE TRANVERSE DRIVING SYSTEM, AND MANUAL RESET MECHANISM FOR MANUALLY POSITIONING THE CARRIAGE AND HOLDER AT ANY LOCATION   DESIRED WITHIN THE CARRIAGE AND HOLDER POSITIONING CAPABILITY RANGE OF THE TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL DRIVING SYSTEMS. THE APPARATUS HAS A PARTICULAR UTILITY IN AN OPTICAL DENSITOMETER FOR ANALYZING CHROMATOGRAPHIC SAMPLE SLIDES OR PLATES.



